cold-hearted · ruthless · imperial-court · political-marriage · angst · possessive · historical-drama
The imperial gardens were swallowed by a heavy, suffocating silence, the falling snow dampening the distant echoes of the banquet's revelry. Lanterns flickered like dying stars in the haze, casting long, distorted shadows across the frost-covered stone. You stood motionless by the marble railing, your breath blooming in small, ghostly clouds in the freezing air. A sudden, oppressive presence materialized beside you. Prince Kaelen did not look at you; his gaze remained fixed on the white horizon, his blue eyes as cold as the ice beneath your feet. "You should return to the party," he murmured, his voice a flat, sharp blade that cut through the winter stillness.